LUNGS HISTOMORPHOLOGУ OF THE CLARII CATFISH (CLARIAS GARIEPINUS)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/naturaljournal.12.2025.3Keywords:
vertebrates; lungs morphology; histological structure; morphometryAbstract
The vital activity of living organisms for their existence is essential for providing cells and tissues with oxygen and nutrients and the excretion of metabolic products. The body’s response to environmental influences, uniting all organs and systems into a single whole, requires the regular morphofunctional activity of all body systems, including the respiratory system, which served as the purpose of the research.Using macro- and microscopic, morphometric, and statistical research methods, the results are presented on the microscopic structure of the gills of the Clarius catfish. Thus, in the gas exchange system of birefringent fish, represented by the Clarius catfish, changes occur in the process of their phylogenetic development (two circles of blood circulation are formed), which are characteristic of amphibians, in which, in addition to gills, paired lungs are also formed, thanks to which animals can breathe atmospheric air.The gills of the Clarius catfish are formed by branched anatomical structures located on the second and fourth-gill arches. These are paired pale pink morphological structures with cellular walls connected to the esophagus. The medial and lateral lobes form the right and left lungs: starting from the gill cavities, the main trunk of the medial lobe of the lungs branches out like a tree into four large branches, which are divided into medium, small, giving rise to thick-walled alveoli. The lateral lobe of the lungs begins with a separate trunk that is not connected to the medial lobe of the lungs.The lungs of the Claria catfish are covered with a connective tissue membrane (pleura), which is microscopically formed by three layers: outer, middle, and inner. The microscopic structure of the wall of the bronchi of the lungs is built of three membranes – outer, middle (muscular), and inner: the surface of the wall of the outer membrane is formed by epithelial cells that form elongated villi, the lamina propria of the membrane is formed by loose connective tissue, in which a network of blood vessels is located; the muscular membrane of the wall is formed by transversely striated muscle tissue, the fibers of which have a longitudinal direction; the inner membrane is thin and formed by elongated epithelial cells. The cavity of the bronchi, throughout the entire interval of the bronchial tree, ending in the pulmonary alveoli, is filled with reticular tissue.According to morphometric studies, the most prominent morphometric parameters (wall thickness, thickness of the bronchial cavity) are characteristic of large, then medium, and, accordingly, small bronchi. Pulmonary alveoli have a rounded shape; microscopically, a significant network of vessels (capillaries) of the microcirculatory bed is detected in the wall of the connective tissue membrane. The average volume of pulmonary alveoli is 94770 ± 909 thousand. mcm3, the average volume of the alveoli cavity, filled with reticular tissue, is 27862 ± 413 thousand. mcm3. With such indicators, the ratio of the volume of the alveoli cavity to the volume of its wall is 0.4164.
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